Where jazz has never sounded better – in the club

To be able to talk about improvisation in music, one first has to experience it live. Several hundred clubs, festivals and concert halls in Germany regularly feature jazz musicians of local, national and international standing. And many a German jazz club has become famous overseas.

Domicil, Dortmund

Since its foundation in 1969, Domicil in Dortmund has presented jazz in all its facets – from Dixieland to free jazz. In 2005 the club took up residence in a former cinema in Hansastrasse, on the first floor between the restaurant and the auditorium. Domicil ranks as one of the three best jazz clubs in Germany.

Hamburg's top destination for swing and mainstream modern jazz is Birdland, founded in Hoheluft-West in 1985. Countless world stars from Chet Baker to Wynton Marsalis have played here at the invitation of the Hamburg Jazz Federation.